"Kronospan" to begin investments of 100 million lei in Braşov

• The company plans to extend the output capacity of the plat for manufacturing oriented strandboards

Kronospan Romania, which holds factories of Oriented Strandboards in Braşov, Sebeş and Constanţa, has planned investments of 100 million lei (approximately 25 million Euros) in order to increase the output of the plant of Braşov, said Oana Bodea, PR manager of the company.

Together with this expansion of its output capacity, the company also hopes to increase its exports. Right now, half of the output of Braşov is exported, going to the markets of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Hungary, but the company also wants to expand to the Far East. From exports alone, the plant of Braşov earned 180 million lei.

"We still have plans to expand to Braşov, for instance by investing in a timber factory, but this all depends on the situation in the market and on the completion of the procedures for achieving the authorizations needed for such an approach", said Oana Bodea.

The plant of Braşov currently has 270 employees and has no plans to recruit more in the near future.

The plant of Braşov of the Austrian group was inaugurated in December 2009, following an investment of 200 million Euros. The Austrian group decided to invest in Romania in 1999, when the company of Braşov began its operations. The company sells the entire range of products of the group. After realizing the potential of the Romanian market, the Austrians decided to invest in production facilities as well. In 2004, Kronospan acquired the plant of Sebeş, which manufactures fiberboard and gross and melamine Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) for the furniture industry.

The Kronospan group was created in 1897 near in Lungotz, near Salzburg. The Austrian group is currently a leader on the market for wood-based products, as it owns 27 plants in 24 countries, as well among the manufacturers of laminated parquet.